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alnilam posted:Is one of those things a sleeping pad? Here's an album link with descriptions; http://imgur.com/a/ZXTer There is a sleeping pad. The ziploc bag is a first aid kit, and I do know how to use what's in it. Also, I do have 25" of paracord. I like Poe  evil_bunnY posted:Ditch at least the folding knife, take a second bic. Invert your scabbard. This is minus clothes/food/water. For most of my trips, I will be wearing everything except clean underwear and socks, which is the same I do on bike camping trips. I'm in the Southeast, most of my trips will be southern Appalachian trail and similar terrain. Good call on the sheath, definitely gotta flip it.
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Jan 21, 2014 22:06
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Also I'd ditch the moist wipes, or take only a few in a plastic baggie. Castile soap and water will work for just about everything you need. Plus you have to pack out the used wipes, plus a whole pack of them is kind of heavy. Also, some people may disagree with me on this, but ditch the toothpaste (not good for nature) and use castile soap in your mouth. Spit it onto ground, not running water. Castile soap is one of the gentler soaps you can dump on nature, and even it can do damage if it's put directly into fresh water or too concentrated. Less of a big deal, but also when you spit it out, spray it in a wide area to avoid concentrating soap in one spot. Do this decently away from your tent cause it may smell like tasty bear food, depending on where you are. edit: jk about the poe, I was being goofy alnilam fucked around with this message at 22:20 on Jan 21, 2014 |
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Jan 21, 2014 22:10
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This is the second time I've heard that, I may give it a try. I do try to always be mindful of nature and any chemicals I have.
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Jan 21, 2014 22:17
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It's more space than weight, but I've never once found myself wishing I had a pillow. Just sleep on your socks or whatever, and the crook of your arm. I've heard about variations on shelters with bags, but not that one, thanks alnilam. Does anyone else have any other little easy to scan graphics or anything? I'm asking both for myself, and friends who ask advice so I can say, "here, look at this."
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Jan 21, 2014 22:36
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Do you guys not use matches?
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Jan 22, 2014 02:02
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I keep storm matches in a waterproof container, but you get way less tries with matches than a lighter, so they're reserved for if it gets stupid windy or everything gets doused. Actually, thinking about it now, I'm pretty sure my flint solves that problem as well, so maybe I don't need matches anymore.
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Jan 22, 2014 02:15
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If you have a bic, doesn't that already have a flint/steel spark generator attached? Just carry a second one inside your first aid kit.
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Jan 22, 2014 03:14
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Bottom Liner posted:So here's my updated/complete kit (minus food and water). Anything I'm missing? Also, does my pack look like it fits correctly? Total weight comes to 23lbs, but that's including the completely unnecessary Ka-bar knife, Nook, pillow, and 3lb DSLR camera/lens. I could easily get it down to about 18 lbs if I didn't take those. I can also take the hammock instead of the tent and save about 6-7 more lbs if I want to go lighter in warmer weather. Here are a few suggestions and ultralight nitpicks: -I'd drop the other knives and just take the smallest folding knife but I guess you plan on skinning a bear or something -I didn't see any duct tape, but about 3 feet of tape and a few safety pins along with those zip ties will fix a lot of gear problems -What's the little clip light? I'd just use your headlight to read if it's for the Nook. -You can save some weight if you swap out the Nalgene for a standard 1L Gatorade/soda bottle, and put the Doc Bronner's in a smaller container. -Not everything needs to be in its own little stuff sack, and this adds an extra thing to keep track of when you pull it out. -Just take the one plastic spoon/fork -Put your electronics in a gallon size Ziploc bag to keep them safe. -Use a big contractor's bag for a pack liner, there are like a million uses for these and they'll also keep your stuff dry. -Put your toiletries and first aid kit in small Ziploc bag instead of the stuff sack, this will be very nice if your soap leaks. It can happen.
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Jan 22, 2014 03:24
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drat I'm jealous, 18lbs is crazy light. Every time I try to load my pack up light as possible it always ends up at ~50lbs. Next time I'm going to weigh everything to figure out where you guys are saving so much weight.
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Jan 22, 2014 04:13
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Scottw330 posted:drat I'm jealous, 18lbs is crazy light. Every time I try to load my pack up light as possible it always ends up at ~50lbs. Next time I'm going to weigh everything to figure out where you guys are saving so much weight. He doesn't have any food, water or clothes, which is where the majority of a pack's weight should come from.
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Jan 22, 2014 06:04
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People who come up with actual pack weights under twenty lbs also make major sacrifices most of us would not be comfortable making. Ultralight backpacking can also be very dangerous if you didn't guess the weather right. Also it's really loving expensive.
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Jan 22, 2014 06:07
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I recently took the time to spreadsheet all my gear and poo poo, since I'm doing some long distance traverses this summer, and my baseweight (Minus food, but all else) came in at a mere 16lbs/7kg. Add in food and water and it comes up to around 25/28lbs, which isn't too shabby at all for a 7 day trip. Most of it was just judiciously picking up a piece here and a piece there on sale, and the weight fluctuates depending if I'm using my TarpTent DR or a Hammock. Honestly, the biggest savings (and cost) came from switching to a DWR Quilt, but it's so goddamn comfortable that I have zero regrets. Like I asked on Reddit: Why the gently caress do you need two knives and a leatherman. 
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Jan 22, 2014 06:21
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Bottom Liner posted:So here's my updated/complete kit (minus food and water). Anything I'm missing? What kind of trip are you preparing for and how long because that will make a big difference if your pack is heavy or super light. I see a few redundant pieces of gear like metal and plastic utensils, just ditch the metal as it's fairly heavy and the plastic ones work well and weigh nothing. You also have three knives; one Rambo, one folding and a cheap looking mini multi tool. My suggestion would be to ditch the KaBar or the folding as their uses overlap. If something crazy happens you don't want to have your life relying on a cheap multi tool. Phone and tablet comes down to personal preference if you need one versus the other or both. My phone almost never works in the backcountry so it stays in the car. Keep in mind that the cold kills battery life in electronics. Phones, cameras and tablets will drain fast as the temps fall. I bring an slr and go pro plus extra batteries in a gallon Ziploc so I'm not hating on electronics but tablets seem funny to me while out camping personally but people like them versus books for the trail I suppose. Bring something to write with so that you can keep track of what you don't use or would like to change next time as well as taking notes. Try sleeping in a hammock overnight before committing to it. I can't sleep in a hammock as I'm a side/stomach sleeper. Tents also provide shelter from bugs and rain so if you bring a hammock you might want to also bring a tarp. When it comes to pillows they are a luxury item and they don't pack very compact so just put your clothes onto an empty stuff sack and use that. Inflatable it's another option. Add some rope and duct tape. It has more uses than anything else you bring and weighs nothing. 100 feet of paracord weighs a few ounces and will be more than you need. Clothes line at camp to dry your poo poo out, guyout lines for your tent if it's getting crazy or you lose/break a pole, hanging your bag overnight. Two garbage bags, one for a pack liner and the other in case it rains while your pack is hanging. The nalgene can be replaced with a Gatorade bottle or a collapsible water bag. Two bic lighters, one on you and one in your first aid kit. Run through everything you're bringing and pack it up (food and water) as if you were leaving to see if everything fits and need to start shedding weight. I started out by packing all my essential gear first like food, shelter, stove, sleeping bag, etc. That gave me a sense of what room I had available for luxury items like my camera, sleeping pad and if I had to leave done things out. A lot of people don't talk about poop. I have a poop kit which contains a half roll of bio tp with the core removed and flattened. I bring a few wet wipes because it makes things feel like new. I also have soap/sanitizer in there. I no longer bring a trowel and instead just use a stick or my hands to dig a hole if that needs to be done. And if you have dehydrated food bags, those make great dirty poo poo paper containers if you have to pack it out. Lastly, make lists versus taking pics. They're faster and more detailed. It really gives you a better sense of overlapping items and if you're missing something. Google docs has made organizing a trip so much easier especially with people new to backpacking so they can share packing lists etc. Sorry for the wall of text. Just thought I would give you some advice based on what I've learned over the years so I hope it helps. Verman fucked around with this message at 06:52 on Jan 22, 2014 |
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Jan 22, 2014 06:50
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Every few months I post my guide to ultralight, mostly focused on gear selection and usage: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z7haNEGlEn64oWGf6MA72FTyz0fjIuuyv7Oh09bGWIY/pub Also for anyone who's curious I'm now eight months past my hip surgery and I'm nearly back at normal strength. I've even done a few fairly strenuous day hikes and been fine. I can't wait to start backpacking again!
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Jan 22, 2014 08:10
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Rime posted:Like I asked on Reddit: Why the gently caress do you need two knives and a leatherman. What hiking related subreddits are there? I'm keen to sub to them. I attempted the Hillary Trail last month but had to give up at the end of the second day because my knee gave out. I was grossly under-prepared for how strenuous the trail actually is. I'm also kind of overweight and didn't do enough exercise/prep prior to going so that's really my own fault. Still hasn't put me off hiking, and I just chalked it up as a good experience.
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Jan 22, 2014 10:25
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ultralight, backpacking, appalachiantrail, pacificcresttrail, hiking, campingandhiking, myog, alpinism, outdoors, searchandrescue, trailmeals, wildernessmedicine, and a bunch of location specific ones like yosemite, joshuatree, socalhiking, etc.
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Jan 22, 2014 17:22
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Anyone went to King's Canyon/Sequioa recently? I'll be heading to King's Canyon + Sequioa from Southern California this weekend and I have some questions about the roads. I tried calling their phone number but reaching the road status didn't seem to work. We'll be staying in Grant Grove. We'll have tire chains as well. *General Highway*: From Grant Grove to Lodgepole, will it be open? Will I need tire chains? Their website says: quote:"Road will close with the first significant snowstorm after Jan. 6, 2014 and is expected to remain closed through Apr. 15, 2014." I'm not sure if that means it's close permanently or temporarily. *Highway 180. Grant Grove to Cedar Grove* : Will we be able to drive all the way down to highway 180? Will we need chains? quote:Closed in winter beyond Hume Lake. Chains may be required for all vehicles on open roadways. The website confuses me, not 100% sure if they're saying it will be closing permanently or only temporarily when there is snow.
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Jan 22, 2014 20:12
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Get one of these.Rime posted:Like I asked on Reddit: Why the gently caress do you need two knives and a leatherman. The Micra is pretty nice for an ultralight leatherman. It can be nice to have the extras, for clipping things, or tightening screws or whatever. PRADA SLUT fucked around with this message at 20:31 on Jan 22, 2014 |
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Jan 22, 2014 20:25
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Went backpacking in Zaleski State Park last weekend, and I realized how profoundly I dislike my tent and pad. I'm too tall for my tent, so I have to sleep diagonally, which meant that I didn't fully fit on either of the ground pads I had brought. Normally it's not such an issue, but the weather was so cold that the ground sucked out a lot of my body heat in the single digit weather, and I didn't sleep very well. I was thinking of ditching my tent in favor of a hammock with a sleeping bag peapod over it for insulation. I'm looking at the Eagles Nest setup with this Wiggy's bag over top the hammock. The downside is that the 20 degree bag is nearly four pounds, but ditching the tent and whatnot should help make up for the weight. Is this a good idea? Does anyone have any recommendations or advice? Editvv: I'm about 6'4". I usually just take a mummy Liberty Mountain inflatable pad, but I doubled up with an open cell foam pad since it was snowy and cold. My tent is just a basic, cheap High Peaks tent that I picked up a couple of years ago. Catatron Prime fucked around with this message at 16:55 on Jan 24, 2014 |
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Jan 24, 2014 14:57
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First questions: how tall are you? What tent/pad are you using?
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Jan 24, 2014 16:22
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PRADA SLUT posted:The Micra is pretty nice for an ultralight leatherman. It can be nice to have the extras, for clipping things, or tightening screws or whatever. Then why two fixed blades?
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Jan 24, 2014 16:23
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OSU_Matthew posted:I was thinking of ditching my tent in favor of a hammock with a sleeping bag peapod over it for insulation. I'm looking at the Eagles Nest setup with this Wiggy's bag over top the hammock. The downside is that the 20 degree bag is nearly four pounds, but ditching the tent and whatnot should help make up for the weight. For like $60 more you can pick up an Enlightened Equipment Enigma or Revelation quilt which weighs </= 1LB and comes with the option of Down Water-Resistance and a wide variety of colors. Those guys are just brutally overcharging, unless there's some magic to the product that I'm missing.
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Jan 24, 2014 17:58
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Rime posted:For like $60 more you can pick up an Enlightened Equipment Enigma or Revelation quilt which weighs </= 1LB and comes with the option of Down Water-Resistance and a wide variety of colors. Yeah, it's a bit pricey, but Wiggy's bags are some pretty great stuff--the mummy bag is what I use now. Basically the fibers in the bag are silicone coated, making them antistatic. Because of this they regain the original loft after being compressed, are machine washable, and eliminate the need for baffles, which create cold spots  The bag itself is massively overbuilt with giant zippers and oversized draft tubes, and basically last forever. The downside is they're a bit bulkier to pack, but I've had nothing but good experiences with mine. Editvv: Thanks! That's exactly what I was looking for--I'll take the hammock chat over there. Catatron Prime fucked around with this message at 20:12 on Jan 25, 2014 |
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Jan 24, 2014 18:17
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OSU_Matthew posted:Went backpacking in Zaleski State Park last weekend, and I realized how profoundly I dislike my tent and pad. I'm too tall for my tent, so I have to sleep diagonally, which meant that I didn't fully fit on either of the ground pads I had brought. Normally it's not such an issue, but the weather was so cold that the ground sucked out a lot of my body heat in the single digit weather, and I didn't sleep very well. I've heard good things about JRB underquilts, but they're not cheap. All the information you could ever want on hammocks, insulation, suspension, etc: https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=1
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Jan 24, 2014 18:29
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FreakerByTheSpeaker posted:Then why two fixed blades? I take two and a Benchmade folder because I own two and a folder.
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Jan 24, 2014 20:02
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Oxford Comma posted:I take two and a Benchmade folder because I own two and a folder. Guess I can't argue with that. I think that unless it's a long rear end hike, if it makes you have more fun, or feel more safe, then bring it along. I know a dude who only cooks with cast iron on the trail because he says it tastes better, but I think it's to show how big his balls are (big, apparently.) That being said, I own dumbbells, which I like, but I'm leaving them at home.
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Jan 25, 2014 01:19
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ahahah holy poo poo cast iron cooking pots on the trail, wow I'm sure it does taste better to some extent but man I'm really not feeling the benefit vs. cost in that equation The chewy dehydrated vegetables and meat and rehydrating everything and it being not really "good" but amazingly tasty because you're in the wilderness and a hot meal after a long day is amazing is part of backpacking in my mind I guess. e: dutch oven cooking while camping (car camping, etc) is amazing and the best thing ever but carrying a cast iron skillet or something while bckpacking is nutssssssss I can think of so many things I"d rather take Levitate fucked around with this message at 03:04 on Jan 25, 2014 |
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Jan 25, 2014 02:57
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Yeah, I'm fairly sure I'd bring firewood on my back before I bring cast iron cooking stuff. That poo poo is ridiculously heavy.
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Jan 25, 2014 16:18
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Does anyone carry fishing gear when they backpack? I figure if I can get a pretty light setup it would be fun to fish in places that haven't been filled with old discarded line and beer cans.
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Jan 25, 2014 17:15
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Yep, for flyfishing, and that led me to http://www.tenkarausa.com
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Jan 25, 2014 18:13
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Tie fishing line to the end of a trekking pole.
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Jan 25, 2014 18:28
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SubponticatePoster posted:Does anyone carry fishing gear when they backpack? I figure if I can get a pretty light setup it would be fun to fish in places that haven't been filled with old discarded line and beer cans. I do both casting and fly fishing. The lures for trout especially are light as hell. Nothing beats fish so fresh they were swimming on the string 5 minutes before they hit the pan. Bring a bit of oil and some salt/pepper if you want, and you got yourself a great, fresh meal. Also, the fish are why my friend brings the pan. He's insane, but not stupid enough to haul around a huge kettle to prepare his spaghetti and meatballs Mountain House in.
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Jan 26, 2014 00:24
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beefnoodle posted:Yep, for flyfishing, and that led me to http://www.tenkarausa.com  FreakerByTheSpeaker posted:I do both casting and fly fishing. The lures for trout especially are light as hell. Nothing beats fish so fresh they were swimming on the string 5 minutes before they hit the pan. Bring a bit of oil and some salt/pepper if you want, and you got yourself a great, fresh meal. 
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Jan 26, 2014 19:12
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I have really been toying with the idea of getting one of these, but I am not sure if it is worth the weight. It seems like the best route may just be to bring some line and improvise. http://www.emmrod.com/combat-fishing-pole/ I asked about them in the fishing thread and did not hear from anyone who has used one.
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Jan 26, 2014 19:52
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I've been dreaming about hiking the West Coast Trail since I first saw photos from someone's trip years ago. I'm graduating this summer and my friend is getting married in Vancouver this August, so it seems like this would be the perfect opportunity to make this happen. However, I'm a novice backpacker -- as in I've only really gone car camping and day hiking before. And I'm really slow. And I'll be by myself. I've always been pretty athletic so I'm not terribly worried about endurance, but I also really don't have any frame of reference to even think that, I suppose. The hike "should" take 5-7 days (47 miles); I don't mind if I take longer, because of the aforementioned slowness. I do have decent, light and synthetic gear so I'm mostly set up for that, and I have plenty of time train and to do smaller hikes locally before I go. Every resource I read about this trail, though, says to not do it if it's your first hike. Has anyone here hiked the WCT? What would I be getting myself into, if I can even score a reservation slot? Am I an idiot for even considering this hike? I'm in love with it and I have the time and a little bit of money to make it happen.
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Jan 26, 2014 20:16
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Has anyone here used a backpack guitar? My husband really really wants one but none of the local stores have one to try out. He realizes he's paying for a gimmick and it won't exactly be the most amazing guitar he's owned, but it would be nice to know if any of them are not complete poo poo before he orders one online. cov-hog posted:Every resource I read about this trail, though, says to not do it if it's your first hike. Has anyone here hiked the WCT? What would I be getting myself into, if I can even score a reservation slot? Am I an idiot for even considering this hike? I'm in love with it and I have the time and a little bit of money to make it happen. That's pretty ambitious for your first attempt. You might want to do an overnight on something like Berg Lake (~21km, and you can break it into chunks for a longer trip with easier days) first and see how it goes before investing into a 5-7 day trip.
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Jan 26, 2014 23:20
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Tagra posted:Has anyone here used a backpack guitar? My husband really really wants one but none of the local stores have one to try out. He realizes he's paying for a gimmick and it won't exactly be the most amazing guitar he's owned, but it would be nice to know if any of them are not complete poo poo before he orders one online. I've tried some out but never bought one or brought one backpacking or camping. They play well enough and sound good for what you're looking for as long as you don't spend a lot on them and understand it's more of a luxury item rather than a super nice quality guitar.
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Jan 26, 2014 23:40
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I don't know how to play the guitar, but I've been backpacking with people using backpack guitars, and to my untrained ears they sound great.
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Jan 27, 2014 00:24
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You searched for "backpacking guitar" Perhaps you're looking for banjo? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tqxzWdKKu8
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Jan 27, 2014 01:34
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Tagra posted:Has anyone here used a backpack guitar? My husband really really wants one but none of the local stores have one to try out. He realizes he's paying for a gimmick and it won't exactly be the most amazing guitar he's owned, but it would be nice to know if any of them are not complete poo poo before he orders one online.
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Jan 27, 2014 03:21
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